Born to Die
by dreamlanddetox1
Summary: Post Borderlands 2; Our narrator finds all of her favorite people gathered in a bar, she hopes to keep out of sight. Out of mind, out of their sights.
1. Chapter 1: Anonymous

Author's Note, but only because they seem to be so popular within Borderlands fanfic: I do not own any of the characters or places within this piece.  
SPOILER ALERT: This takes place after Borderlands 2 and will spoil, be prepared for it.

Prologue: Anonymous.

The siren sat in the corner of the bar staring across the room at the band of drunken friends filing in. She'd wondered briefly if anyone would recognize her, but shook it off. The cup that sat in front of her radiated heat as the pressure around her pressed inward. She took deep breaths and focused on breaking down the group that she'd known for so long.

Mordecai, who'd lost his bird. He looked happy again, although she believed it was impossible for him to be unhappy while drunk. She'd felt closest to him for some reason, probably because although he was within the group he'd kept his distance. In her head she'd selfishly felt closer to him than any of his other friends. Maybe that was why she'd slipped the egg into his hotel room. It wouldn't hatch Bloodwing, but it was a breed close to her and also extinct on Eden-5. He'd let the tiny bird out on the table, it was chirping happily before him as he slipped a few nuts to it. She'd wondered what he'd decided to name it.

The skinny sniper sat in the corner of the booth in the middle of the brutish ones, Salvador and Brick, who she'd imagined almost cried of happiness upon meeting each other. They were laughing back and forth, holding the large glass pints in their large hands. They'd never tried speaking back to her, they always just complied and threw themselves in harms way. They were so… malleable. Maybe that's why she'd held a special spot in her heart for them.

The assassin was nowhere to be found, but that was within his character. She'd felt most challenged by him; she didn't know why he did most of the things he did for her. The others had some form of obligation, be it money or the people of Pandora. Zer0 had neither.

The sirens were taking the edges, awkwardly sneaking looks across the table at each other. While they were around each other their tattoos glowed a bit brighter than normally; they were just a tad brighter with her sitting in the corner, but she doubted they'd notice. She was sure they'd both picked each others brains after the opening of the second vault. Maya kept sneaking glances in the third siren's corner of the bar, provoking a smile on pale purple lips.

The third siren stood from the far corner of the room and lifted her hood off her shoulders, her short black ponytail fall to her left side. She wrapped the rest of the cloak around her body, she'd be anonymous. Dropping crisp bill on the table she made her way for the door only to be pushed back by a large robot she'd recognized very well. Deathtrap's large chest pushed her back so far she'd slid under a table. Much to her surprise, a lightly armored body came to her aid, pulling her carefully from under the gum-crusted table. Gaige jumped off of the bot's back and over to grab the fragile girl's hand. As the assassin and the mechromancer pulled the third siren from under the table the cloak fell exposing the tattoos on her left arm. At this Lilith and Maya both raised to their feet, too shocked to produce a sound.

Just as the third siren slipped out from under the tabletop the hood fell from over her head. Mordecai rose to his feet and put a light hand on both Brick and Salvador's shoulders, silencing the both of them. They peered in the girl's direction and grew silent as well. Gaige dropped her hand upon seeing her face; Zer0 took a step back and found his hands on his glowing katana.

The only noise was coming from the bar ambiance and the little squawking bird on the table, at least, before Mordecai spoke up, "Angel?"


	2. Chapter 2: Lost Time

Chapter 1: Lost Time.

I smiled weakly. How do I go about apologizing to them for working for Hyperion while simultaneously thanking them for their efforts in killing me?

Mordecai grabbed a revolver from his belt and pointed it at me as Zer0's blade fell to my neck, in the short distance I could feel Deathtrap charging his lasers.

Axton crashed through the door of the bar, "Next rounds on me." The group's tension came to a crescendo as Lilith spoke, "How are you alive Angel?"

The blade against my throat made it difficult to speak but I tilted back and choked, "Hyperion brings everyone back to life, I had a back-up plan for myself.

"And by you, you mean Jack," Mordecai spat. I'd never been so close to him before; he'd never seemed angrier than on the other side of his Jakobs revolver.

"No, I mean me. When Jack became president he took command over New-U first, this way he after he gained control could keep it." The group held on as I paused, waiting for the rest of the story, "I'd always had the idea for a back up plan for my death, but I didn't initiate it until just before you all got to my chamber. I detached Jack from New-U and added myself. It was a stretch, but Jack was too busy hunting you all down to check any of the system updates."

"If Jack had control of New-U, why didn't he delete us from it?" Brick said, quite intelligently. The gaze of the siren's flipped to him, clearly impressed as well.

"It wasn't that easy, but after you defeated The Destroyer," my gaze panned to Mordecai, "I knew that I couldn't lose you. You were all too valuable. I hacked into the Hyperion database and put a hold onto your accounts with us, each protected with a separate password just incase Jack got smart. What would he do if he found out it was me? Nothing, he needed me."

Mordecai puffed his chest, stashing his revolver back into its holster. He took the bird and brought it to the leather holder he kept on his chest. "Wait!" I shouted to him. His pause was brief, but noticeable for someone who was desperately looking. I continued, "What have you named the bird?"

He looked at Brick to move him, as Brick shuffled out of the booth Mordecai slipped past him to the door where Axton was and left. I let out a deep breath that I realized was being held in the pit of my throat. Zer0, with a question mark on his visor, sheathed his katana quickly and sunk back into the shadows. Gaige looked to the door and back to me before Deathtrap diffused, and then she left at the same time as Lilith and Maya. Salvador's look of general confusion left him in the same state as Brick, both of the men didn't seem to care too much that most everyone was leaving. Axton looked to me, "so you're alive now, huh?"

I nodded, "more or less."

He smiled at me, "We're staying in the rooms above Marcus's place, you can join us if you want. Gaige and Tina are sharing a room, as are Maya and Lilith; you can pick who you want to stay with… since it seems as though you intend on staying."

"Why do you assume that?"

He shrugged, "you cared enough to tell them the whole story. You realize what it was like for everyone, too. Those things aren't easy, even for us _rough and tough _Vault Hunters." He made gestures while he spoke, it immediately crossed my mind that he entirely seemed like the kind of person who would do that. "Just give 'em time. All of 'em."

"'Cept me," Included Brick, "You've lead me into a lot of my favorite fights."

I sat at the table with the men, Axton throwing me glances every now and then while Brick and Salvador finished off more pints than I cared to keep track of. We spoke for a while, threw around comments and compliments while sharing stories. Axton was really interested in the inner operations of Hyperion and whether or not anyone else was going to take control of it while the others asked about how it felt to be able to phaseshift "computer-y" things. We bonded and laughed and before long it was time for me to move to settle into wherever I would be staying.

As I situated my hood while leaving the bar I could feel a presence around me, eyes on my back, "whose there?"

Out of the shadows slipped a whisper, "I don't trust you, ya know." I was pressed up against the wall behind me, sharpened blade pressed against my throat. Mordecai's accented voice dripped with venom.

I replied breathlessly, my entire frame clenching up again, "I didn't expect you to."

"And if you hurt any one of my friends," I could feel his breath on my neck, "I will relish your death."


End file.
